Heart of Darkness

Classic Edition

By: Joseph Conrad

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Compelling, exotic, and suspenseful, Heart of Darkness is far more than just an adventure story. The novel explores deep into the dark regions of the hearts and souls of its characters and into the conflicts prevalent in more primitive cultures. It is also a striking picture of the moral deterioration that can result from prolonged isolation.

Marlow, the story's narrator, tells his friends of an experience in the British Congo, where he once ran a river steamer for a trading company. He recalls the ivory traders' cruel exploitation of the natives there. Chief among these is a greedy and treacherous European named Kurtz, who has used savagery to obtain semi-divine power over the natives. While Marlow tries to get Kurtz back down the river, Kurtz tries to justify his actions, asserting that he has seen into the very heart of things.

Conrad's novel was the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam film Apocalypse Now.

©1993 Another Time...Another Place (P)1993 Another Time...Another Place

Critic reviews

"Heart of Darkness has had an influence that goes beyond the specifically literary. This parable of a man's 'heart of darkness', dramatized in the alleged 'Dark Continent' of Africa, transcended its late Victorian era to acquire the stature of one of the great, if troubling, visionary works of Western civilization." (Joyce Carol Oates)

Excellent uncensored version.

Conrad’s exploration of the Culture Shock and Exploitation of european colonizers remains a seminal work in our understanding of comparative culture. This version offered the unvarnished original words Conrad used and I appreciate that bold choice, which provokes discomfort for a truly uncomfortable subject. I will probably re-read in the future in order to glean further nuance.

Heart of Darkness

Really enjoyed this audio version of the story. The accents and voices of different characters was well done.